From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

70-000 series Train on the Tokyo Waterfront Railway, heading towards Osaki.

The Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit, Inc. (東京臨海高速鉄道株式会社, Tōkyō Rinkai Kōsoku Tetsudō Kabushiki-gaisha^?), or Rinkai Line (りんかい線, Rinkai-sen^?), is a third-sector railway in Tokyo, Japan, connecting Tokyo to the artificial islands of Aomi and Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. The line is served by some trains on the JR-East Saikyō Line, which continue from Ōsaki to Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ōmiya, and Kawagoe. The line is funded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Shinagawa-ku, and JR East.

Construction of the line started in 1992, with the eastern end of the line using the right-of-way of the Keiyō Freight line (abandoned in 1983).^[1] The first portion of the line from Shin-Kiba to Tokyo Teleport Town opened for service on March 30, 1996, initially under the name Rinkai Fukutoshin Line (臨海副都心線, Rinkai-fukutoshin-sen^?). The name was officially changed to the Rinkai Line on September 1, 2000. The extension to Tennōzu Isle opened on March 31, 2001 and the full length to Osaki on December 1, 2002.

While usually not considered an official part of the Tokyo subway network, the line runs underground for nearly 10 km of its 12.2 km distance, going as low as 40 meters below the ground when crossing under the Port of Tokyo. Only the Shinonome to Shin-Kiba segment (which uses the former Keiyō Freight line) is elevated.

The project ran severely over budget, with an estimated final cost of over ¥440 billion.^[1] In 2005, the Rinkai Line's average ridership was 140,000 passengers per day^[1] and, in 2006, the line finally registered its first operational profit (that is, excluding interest payments on ¥389 billion yen in debt). By comparison, the competing elevated Yurikamome line is profitable, thanks to lower construction expenses, higher ticket prices and popularity among tourists and leisure visitors for its scenic views.^[2]

• Shin-Kiba Station (Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line, Keiyō Line)
• Shinonome Station
• Kokusai-Tenjijō Station (Yurikamome)
• Tokyo Teleport Station (Yurikamome)
• Tennōzu Isle Station (Tokyo Monorail)
• Shinagawa Seaside Station
• Ōimachi Station (Keihin-Tōhoku Line, Tokyu Oimachi Line)
• Ōsaki Station (Saikyō Line through service, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line, Yamanote Line)

• Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit 70-000 series

• List of rapid transit systems

1. ^ ^{a b c} JRTR 38: Rapid Transit and Related Urban Development in Tokyo Waterfront Area
2. ^ JRTR 16: Tokyo’s New Waterfront Transit System

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit

• Official Website (in Japanese)